Apple Tarte Tatin (Tarte Tatin aux Pommes)

Here's my favorite apple Tarte Tatin recipe, which I use to make a delicious French dessert all year round. Also known as Tarte Tatin aux pommes, it is an upside-down pastry with caramelized apples on top. It's yummy and absolutely delicious.

What is apple Tarte Tatin?

Apple tarte Tatin is a 4-ingredient signature French apple upside-down dessert. It features caramelized apples, puff pastry, and silky caramel that is revealed when the tart is flipped right after baking.

It was invented by two Tatin sisters, owners of a provincial French hotel named Hotel Tatin, at the end of the 19th century.

I adapted the apple tarte Tatin recipe from French chef Christophe Michalak. Instead of frying apples in caramel before baking, Mr. Michalak cooks apple quarters in butter-sugar syrup for 10 minutes. This makes the apples soft and allows you to arrange them in a pan with the cooked caramel as tight as possible.

Ingredients

For ingredients and detailed instructions, refer to the recipe card below.

• Granulated sugar
• Apples: Golden Delicious apples are preferable, but you can replace them with Gala, Braeburn, Boskoop, Canada, Pink Lady, or Reinette if desired.
• Unsalted butter
• Puff pastry: For the best results, use butter-based puff pastry, either store-bought or homemade. You can also replace it with shortcrust pastry or any pie crust or pie dough.

How to make apple tarte Tatin

Step 1. Thaw the puff pastry. Using a rolling pin, roll it out to 5 mm thick. Cut a circle of puff pastry using a 9-inch/23 cm pie pan as a template. Prick it with a fork and set it aside.

Step 2. To make dry caramel, place ⅓ of granulated sugar in a heavy-bottomed saucepan and cook over medium heat. Shake the pan over the stovetop while cooking sugar, but do not use utensils, including a wooden spoon.

Step 3. Add another ⅓ of sugar and swirl the saucepan again. Finally, add the remaining sugar and wait until the sugar dissolves. The caramel must become a beautiful light amber color without becoming dark brown. This process takes about 3 to 4 minutes. 

Pro Tip: The caramel continues to cook and, therefore, darkens from residual heat while in the hot saucepan! If it is overcooked, the baked Tarte Tatin may get a bitter, burned taste. 

Step 4. Pour hot caramel immediately into the bottom of the pan (here is a pie tin) 9 inches (23 cm) in diameter. Put aside for the caramel to harden.

Step 5. To poach apples, peel and cut them in quarters. Remove all seeds with a spoon or melon baller. 

Step 6. Place water, cold butter cut into cubes, and sugar in a large pot and bring to a boil. Add quartered apples and cook them for about 10 minutes.

Step 7. Remove apples when they become translucent. Test the apples' readiness: if the tip of a knife goes in without resistance, the apples are ready. Let them cool down.

Step 8. Heat the oven to 355°F (180°C). Arrange the apple slices on the bottom of the pie mold, placing them tightly on the edges in a circular pattern (aka concentric circles).

Step 9. Place a circle of the buttery pastry on top of the poached apples. Slightly press the edges of the pastry against the sides of the mold. 

Step 10. Bake the Tarte Tatin in the preheated oven for 45 minutes until the pastry is golden brown. Then, remove it from the oven and let it cool for about 20 to 30 minutes.

Step 1. Place a serving plate on top of the mold and flip the tart quickly, using a sharp move. Tarte Tatin is covered with caramelized apples on top, while the puff pastry circle forms a base.

Expert Tips

1. Poach apples in one batch or divide apples and poach them two times. Do not overcook apples!
2. To make the dessert, use a pie tin, a cake pan, or an oven-safe skillet: a special tarte Tatin tin, a nonstick skillet (without a handle), or a cast-iron skillet.
3. Arrange poached apples tightly by pressing them down against each other and the edge of the pan.
4. If the tart has cooled before serving, bake it at 355° F (180°C) for a few minutes to liquefy the caramel. Then, flip it over and serve.
5. The calorie count is calculated approximately and does not include the whole amounts of caramel and poaching syrup ingredients. 
6. Make-ahead option: You can arrange poached apples on top of the solidified caramel, wrap them with plastic, and keep them in the fridge overnight. The next day, cover apples with puff pastry and bake.

How to store apple Tarte Tatin

Store apple Tarte Tatin in an airtight container in the refrigerator for a couple of days, but it is best served warm, straight from the oven.

You can freeze it well wrapped for up to 3 months. Thaw it in the refrigerator overnight before slicing and serving.

Best apples for Tarte Tatin

Apples must hold their shape throughout cooking to make the best apple tarte Tatin.

• Reine de Reinette, Reinette Clochard, Reinette Chanteclerc, and Belle de Boskoop apples have the right balance of sweetness and acidity.
• Gala and Golden Delicious: I use the latter to make my apple Tarte Tatin.
• Honeycrisp apples.

You must peel and core apples, slice them in quarters, and caramelize them. Gordon Ramsey and Jacques Sailer recommend peeling apples the night before and keeping them uncovered in the refrigerator to allow them to dry. This step helps avoid a soggy crust.

Recipe FAQ

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Recipe card

The nutritional information has been calculated using an online recipe nutrition calculator such as Verywellfit.com and is intended for informational purposes only. These figures should be used as a general guideline and not be construed as a guarantee.

The recipe was adapted from C'est pas de la tart. It was initially published on October 05, 2018. The recipe has been revised to include improved content and photos.